Arsenal transfers raise the floor – but not the ceiling

Arsenal Didn’t Sign Enough Talent for the Now

The front four is the same, with the exception of a now fully fit Martin Odegaard whose mind is fixed on Arsenal and Arsenal alone. His £30m acquisition is a bargain. Unquestionably so. And of all the additions made this summer he possesses the highest ceiling.

There are few limits to what he can become. ‘Can’, being he crucial word.

Already a huge talent, for this very moment in time he is still the same player who finished last season in north London. He will improve. He just isn’t improved, yet.

Midfield is the same, too. How strong Arsenal’s performances can be still seem to hinge on which version of Granit Xhaka turns up and whether Thomas Partey’s legs are in one piece. The ceiling of this entire team is so contingent on the strength of the starting midfield. It has remained untouched.

The three-game stretch where Sambi and Partey can be an option post-international break is an opportunity to reverse that.

White effectively arrives as Luiz dipped in the fountain of youth. With one display under his belt that did not cover him in glory, the glimpses of his real ability are best extracted from his performances of last season and in pre-season. Just having legs and a brain makes him an upgrade on Luiz but it’s another scenario were from an overall perspective you question how improved Arsenal are on the short-term.

This brand of overhaul has been craved for years. No semblance of strategy or long-term planning had been seen in the Emirates’ diamond lounges and at long last, here it is. Given the option of long-termism over the attempted immediate gratification of previous windows, the former is of course preferred.

The question is whether Arsenal swayed too heavily to one side.

A dash of experience and the arrival of someone who would hit the ground running and whose true potential doesn’t run the risk of being unearthed in one, two or maybe three seasons would have helped push Arsenal closer towards the short-term success that is needed to save the jobs of those in charge.

This team has the potential to deliver sooner than their ages would dictate, but they have to gel quickly. Moreover, their efforts to bond as a unit need come under the guidance of a man who for all the world appears to be breaking away.